Couple Hits Graduation Milestone Together

Graduation, it’s a goal, many students set, but not everyone achieves it.

On Wednesday, May 7, close to 200 Wallace Community College students accomplished that goal. But the road to this milestone was not easy for many.

“There were times I thought I was going to give up I can hear my dad saying,” said graduate Andreta Freeman. “You better keep on going and I did.”

No one knows the struggles of going back to school better than Larry and Sharon Neal. The married couple met when they were instructors in the military. But in retirement they realized some new goals and decided to enroll at Wallace Community College.

“It was a personal decision but since we are both a team it’s hard to separate us,” said Larry Neal. “We do things together even though we took totally different roles.”

Larry’s degree is in Supervisory Management and Sharon’s in General Education. Although they studied different courses, the mutual understanding allowing them to support and motivate one another.

“My husband is really meticulous in certain things and he’s the one that right away let’s get it done so he really pushed me along the way,” explained Sharon.

A report from ‘The New York Times’ shows that only 61% of people who return to the classroom after the age of 24 get their degree.

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